I think The Offspring is a good episode but the attitude of the Admiral keeps it from being among the series best for me. The attitude of the Admiral contradicts the attitude of Starfleet for the rest of the series, and as OP mentioned treatment of Lal like a scientific curiosity owned by Starfleet contradicts Measure of a Man.

Also I think the ending was a cop-out. This is the sort of episode you really shouldn't do unless you're prepared for the story fallout.